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By:

Bhalchandra Chorghade

11 August 2025 at 1:54:18 pm

Applause for Cricket, Silence for Badminton

Mumbai: When Lakshya Sen walked off the court after the final of the All England Badminton Championships, he carried with him the disappointment of another near miss. The Indian shuttler went down in straight games to Lin Chun-Yi, who created history by becoming the first player from Chinese Taipei to lift the prestigious title. But the story of Lakshya Sen’s defeat is not merely about badminton final. It is also about the contrasting way India celebrates its sporting heroes. Had the same...

Applause for Cricket, Silence for Badminton

Mumbai: When Lakshya Sen walked off the court after the final of the All England Badminton Championships, he carried with him the disappointment of another near miss. The Indian shuttler went down in straight games to Lin Chun-Yi, who created history by becoming the first player from Chinese Taipei to lift the prestigious title. But the story of Lakshya Sen’s defeat is not merely about badminton final. It is also about the contrasting way India celebrates its sporting heroes. Had the same narrative unfolded on a cricket field, the reaction would have been dramatically different. In cricket, even defeat often becomes a story of heroism. A hard-fought loss by the Indian team can dominate television debates, fill newspaper columns and trend across social media for days. A player who narrowly misses a milestone is still hailed for his fighting spirit. The nation rallies around its cricketers not only in victory but also in defeat. The narrative quickly shifts from the result to the effort -- the resilience shown, the fight put up, the promise of future triumph. This emotional investment is one of the reasons cricket enjoys unparalleled popularity in India. It has built a culture where players become household names and their performances, good or bad, become part of the national conversation. Badminton Fights Contrast that with what happens in sports like badminton. Reaching the final of the All England Championships is a monumental achievement. The tournament is widely considered badminton’s equivalent of Wimbledon in prestige and tradition. Only the very best players manage to reach its final stages, and doing it twice speaks volumes about Lakshya Sen’s ability and consistency. Yet the reaction in India remained largely subdued. There were congratulatory posts, some headlines acknowledging the effort and brief discussions among badminton enthusiasts. But the level of national engagement never quite matched the magnitude of the achievement. In a cricketing context, reaching such a stage would have triggered days of celebration and analysis. In badminton, it often becomes just another sports update. Long Wait India’s wait for an All England champion continues. The last Indian to win the title was Pullela Gopichand in 2001. Before him, Prakash Padukone had scripted history in 1980. These victories remain among the most significant milestones in Indian badminton. And yet, unlike cricketing triumphs that are frequently revisited and celebrated, such achievements rarely stay in the mainstream sporting conversation for long. Lakshya Sen’s journey to the final should ideally have been viewed as a continuation of that legacy, a reminder that India still possesses the talent to challenge the world’s best in badminton. Instead, it risks fading quickly from public memory. Visibility Gap The difference ultimately comes down to visibility and cultural investment. Cricket in India is not merely a sport; it is an ecosystem built over decades through media attention, sponsorship, and mass emotional attachment. Individual sports, on the other hand, often rely on momentary bursts of recognition, usually during Olympic years or when a medal is won. But consistent performers like Lakshya Sen rarely receive the sustained spotlight that their achievements deserve. This disparity can also influence the next generation. Young athletes are naturally drawn to sports where success brings recognition, financial stability and national fame. When one sport monopolises the spotlight, others struggle to build similar appeal. Beyond Result Lakshya Sen may have finished runner-up again, but his performance at the All England Championship is a reminder that India continues to produce world-class athletes in disciplines beyond cricket. The real issue is not that cricket receives immense attention -- it deserves the admiration it gets. The concern is that athletes from other sports often do not receive comparable appreciation for achievements that are equally significant in their own arenas. If India aspires to become a truly global sporting nation, its applause must grow broader. Sporting pride cannot remain confined to one field. Because somewhere on a badminton court, an athlete like Lakshya Sen is fighting just as hard for the country’s colours as any cricketer on a packed stadium pitch. The only difference is how loudly the nation chooses to cheer.

Mahila Raj' in Maharashtra

Women to helm 15 of 29 municipal corporations

Mumbai: In a historic shift for urban governance, Maharashtra is set for an unprecedented era of female leadership. Following the high-stakes mayoral reservation lottery conducted today at Mantralaya, it has been confirmed that 15 out of the 29 Municipal Corporations in the state—including the financial powerhouse of Mumbai—will be headed by women Mayors.


The lottery, presided over by Minister of State for Urban Development Madhuri Misal, ensures that over half of Maharashtra’s largest urban bodies will be governed by women for the next 2.5 years term.


The highlight of the draw was the reservation of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for a General Category Woman. This marks a significant moment for the BJP, which emerged as the largest party in Mumbai with 89 seats. With 49 women corporators currently in its ranks, the party is already narrowing down a list of veterans to lead the "ace city."


Similar "General Woman" reservations were drawn for other Tier-1 cities, creating a powerful block of female leadership across the state's economic engines – Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Navi Mumbai and Thane (SC General, but high likelihood of female candidates).


The 50% reservation policy, combined with the luck of the draw, has distributed female leadership across various categories. Among the total 17 mayoral posts that went to general (open) category 9 went to women, while in case of OBCs 4 went out of total 8 to women. In the SC category, 2 out of 3 posts have gone to women.


BJP Prepares

City BJP Chief Ameet Satam confirmed that the internal democratic process to select Mumbai’s Mayor is moving swiftly. "The corporators will elect the leader of the house in a couple of days, after which the registration process will be completed. The city Mayor is likely to be elected next week," Satam told reporters.


With as many as 49 women corporators and many of them have already completed multiple terms, an intense lobbying for the top post is being seen within the BJP. Though more than half of the BJP woman corporators are first timers and a significant lot among senior corporators are non-Marathi, the real tough contest for the top post is among a handful of senior corporators. While a couple of senior turncoat corporators who switched sides just ahead of the corporation elections, are eyeing the top post, general mood within the party is in favour of choosing a party loyalist for the top post.


Opposition Uproar

The lottery was not without its share of political drama. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former Mayor Kishori Pednekar staged a walkout, alleging the lottery was "rigged" to favor the ruling Mahayuti alliance. The opposition argued that the BMC post should have rotated to an OBC or ST category, claiming that a new rule requiring at least three ST corporators to qualify for an ST reservation was a tactical manoeuvre to sideline opposition strength. MoS Misal, however, pointed out particular sections of the concerned rules and regulations that control the administration of Mumbai Municipal Corporation to justify the decision to not considering the ST category for lottery. The rule states that any category should be considered if there are more than 3 elected members from the category in the house, officials said.


The outcome is, by next week, the "First Citizens" of Maharashtra’s most vital cities will represent a new, women-led chapter in the state's political history.

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